The Jerusalem rabbinical court has upheld a ruling requiring an Israeli mother to circumcise her son or pay a fine of $140 a day until he has his brit milah. The court in its decision issued Sunday upheld the decision made by a Netanya rabbinical court on Oct. 29, which ruled that the mother must…
A German pastor who defended Jews’ rights to ritual circumcision will receive the highest award of the Central Council of Jews in Germany in ceremonies in Berlin. The awarding of the Leo Baeck Prize on Thursday evening will honor Nikolaus Schneider, 66, president of the council of the Evangelical Church in Germany – the country’s…
News that Norway is planning unspecified new regulations on ritual circumcision could not have come at a more sensitive time. The announcement last week that Norway intends to introduce a bill to “regulate ritual circumcision” comes just over a month after an overwhelming majority of Council of Europe assembly members passed a landmark resolution against…
Worry among Quebec Jews over a proposed bill to ban public sector workers from wearing religious attire at work increased over comments made by a ruling party candidate in the province. In a Facebook exchange made public this week, Parti Quebecois candidate Tania Longpré called for an end to circumcision and for “Jewish” to be…
The Council of Europe will not ban Jewish ritual circumcision of boys, Council Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland assured members of the Conference of European Rabbis. Jagland said Monday in Berlin that he wanted to make it “absolutely clear… that in no way does the Council of Europe want to ban the circumcision of boys. It…
Norway will promote new legislation to “regulate ritual circumcision,” the country’s health minister said. Minister Bent Hoie said the new legislation on non-medical circumcision of boys under 18 will be introduced before April 20, 2014, according to a report by the Norwegian daily Aftenposten. “We will review submissions on the matter before we can decide…
Responding to recent attacks in Europe on ritual circumcision, Jewish groups convened a special task force in Brussels to mount a “proactive defense” of the practice. “The days of waiting around to firefight individual attacks on brit milah are over,” said Philip Carmel, European policy adviser for the European Jewish Congress, in reference to the…
More than 5,000 people, including prominent French politicians, scholars and clergymen, have signed a petition against attempts to ban ritual circumcision of boys in Europe. Titled “no to a ban on circumcision,” the petition was published on Oct. 16 by CRIF, the umbrella organization representing France’s Jewish communities, following the Oct. 1 passing of a…
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